VIA PRESS RELEASE | The Making Of Five Leaves Left, a project nine years in gestation, will be released July 25 via Island/UMe. This Nick Drake Estate authorized edition comprises more than 30 previously unheard outtakes from the sessions which gradually became Nick Drake’s debut album, Five Leaves Left, and will be available as 4CD and 4LP boxed sets.

The reason for the lack of any previous typical anniversary-related “deluxe” set, was the Estate’s wish that the listener concentrate on the beauty within the original released studio recordings. However, following the discovery of remarkable tapes from two new outside sources, plus a comprehensive reordering of the Universal tape library, Nick’s sister Gabrielle felt that now was the time to reveal the origin story of the album.

It should also be noted that that the choice of tracks was made in order to tell the story as faithfully as possible, and not simply to release all the takes on all of the tapes. The final disc in each package is the original Joe Boyd-produced album. The whole set has been mastered by John Wood and Simon Heywood and both vinyl and CD versions will be housed in the same beautiful packaging.

This lovingly put-together set features studio outtakes and previously unheard songs that tell the story of how Nick Drake’s debut album came to be released on Island Records in July 1969. The set includes Nick’s first-ever session at Sound Techniques—found on a mono listening reel that Beverley Martyn had squirreled away over fifty years ago. It also contains the full reel recorded at Caius College by Cambridge acquaintance Paul de Rivaz which had lain in the bottom of a drawer for decades, accompanying him and his family around the world.

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Garage rock primitivists and noise rock provocateurs Pussy Galore will always occupy a special place in my black heart thanks to their gleefully shambolic 1986 desecration of the Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main Street. It’s ugly, incoherent, and a reckless and hilarious foray into the beyond incompetent, yet still manages to sound like a homage rather than a piss-take. Lots of bands commit to vinyl first takes—none I can think of, aside from Pussy Galore, use first tries.

But Pussy Galore aren’t just primitivists. Their music is a form of guerilla art rock—in other words, Pussy Galore are making a statement. It reminds me of Graham Greene’s short story “The Destroyers,” where a gang of London children systemically destroy a home designed by the architect Christopher Wren. Their programme (love the English spelling) reminds me as well of the Russian anarchist Mikhail Bakunin’s famous quote, “The urge for destruction is also a creative urge.” Nihilism, anarchy—take your pick.

Pussy Galore couldn’t have come together in a more inhospitable place—Washington, DC, the birthplace of straightedge, and a town where punk and social consciousness were hopelessly intertwined. The punks there cared (Positive Force!), but Pussy Galore—whose original members included guitarist/vocalist Jon Spencer, guitarist and occasional vocalist Julia Cafritz, and drummer John Hammill—didn’t give a shit. Their idea of regaling hometown crowds included playing a song called “Fuck Ian MacKaye.” This made them even less popular than the nattering nabobs of negativity in No Trend, and it wasn’t long before Pussy Galore pulled up stakes and moved to New York City. It was that or the Witness Protection Program.

Pussy Galore had released one LP, three EPs (including the wonderfully titled “Groovy Hate Fuck”), and a live album when they went into the studio to record the 1988 EP “Sugarshit Sharp”. By this time their line-up consisted of Spencer, Cafritz, former Sonic Youth drummer Bob Bert, and guitarist Kurt Wolf, who replaced Neil Haggerty, who would return to the fold after “Sugarshit Sharp” and ultimately go on to form Royal Trux.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | How many albums virtually upend a genre? And how many erstwhile bluegrass bands top a contemporary jazz chart?!

The answer to these questions, is, one, very few, and two, only Béla Fleck & the Flecktones! Their second album, 1991’s fancifully entitled Flight of the Cosmic Hippo, did indeed top Billboard’s contemporary jazz albums chart and scored a couple of Grammy noms.

But more importantly, this record really made explicit the Flecktones’ bebop leanings, as they devised the term “Blu-Bop” to describe their unique fusion of bluegrass and jazz. Stylistic whiplash has never felt so good or sounded so sweet; check out their warm, instrumental wizardry on chestnuts like “Michelle” and “The Star Spangled Banner” and don’t miss Béla’s banjo power chords on “Turtle Rock!”

We had Mike Milchner at Sonic Vision remaster this classic for vinyl for maximum fidelity, and gave it a repress in cobalt blue vinyl limited to just 900 copies. Essential!

Celebrating Herbie Hancock in advance of his 85th birthday tomorrow. —Ed.

The short description of Herbie Hancock’s gorgeous 1965 LP Maiden Voyage, is that it’s the ’63-’64 Miles Davis Quintet with Freddie Hubbard subbing on trumpet. But as nicely as that reads, it’s actually much more. Hancock’s fifth and best record as leader, to this point it was also his most ambitious, and was additionally something of a rarity in jazz terms; a wildly successful and delightfully peaceful concept album.

Herbie Hancock has had a long and illustrious career, and in tandem with his contribution to the groups of Miles Davis, Maiden Voyage is probably his finest moment. As a look at the personnel relates, the disc is closely tied to Miles’ ‘60’s work, but as a standalone document Hancock’s masterful session equals anything Davis produced in the decade with the exception of the live material from the Plugged Nickel.

Some will disagree and a few will downright scoff at the notion of Maiden Voyage being rated so highly, in part because of its lack of edginess and decidedly refined sensibility. This circumstance extends to the considerable influence Hancock’s record wielded upon subsequent endeavors in the jazz and rock fields, byproducts that span in quality from mediocre to flat-out awful.

But that’s okay. What Maiden Voyage lacks in bluesy grit or fiery abstraction is greatly made up for by boldness of aspiration and a beautifully sustained mood, and as the title track and “Dolphin Dance” have both become late-period jazz standards, a certain percentage of underwhelming interpretations is basically inevitable.

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Slow Magic, 1977–1978 is a collection of never-before-heard songs that Jeff Bridges wrote and recorded with a band of his oldest and closest friends.

Culled from a single decaying cassette tape labeled “July 1978,” these recordings are a window into the musical life of one of our greatest living actors who holds music as dear as all the art forms he participates in. The raw and organic tone of these recordings evokes the breeze and spirit of 1970’s Venice and Malibu beach where they were recorded.

I talked with Jeff about these sessions, his process as an artist, and how the multitude of mediums he participates in all blend together.

Slow Magic is in stores exclusively on Record Store Day on April 12th. You can go to jeffbridges.com to check out all of Jeff’s work including his amazing photography, drawings, and the fascinating “Life is but a Dream” series.

Radar features discussions with artists and industry leaders who are creators and devotees of music and is produced by Dylan Hundley and The Vinyl District. Dylan Hundley is an artist and performer, and the co-creator and lead singer of Lulu Lewis and all things at Darling Black. She co-curates and hosts Salon Lulu which is a New York based multidisciplinary performance series. She is also a cast member of the iconic New York film Metropolitan.

Many decades have passed since Arizona’s Meat Puppets first arrived on the hardcore scene, and they’ve finally become what they were always destined to be—grizzled but cheerful desert prophets just returned from panning for psychedelic gold in some dry gulch in the remote reaches of a fantastical place you won’t find on any map. They know things you and I don’t, they’ve seen and learned things you and I haven’t, and they have a mystical gleam in their eyes.

And their music, as you can hear on 2019’s Dusty Notes, is the mature expression of some bearded old-timers who have gone through hell and come out the other side—it’s all survivors’ wisdom and joy, yet still of a piece with the storied music of their long journey through the past. They’ve come full circle, and the circle is unbroken. They were always old beyond their years, always out of step with their contemporaries, always traveling alone down a path only they saw. Nobody made the kind of music they made, and they’re still making it. And the music they’re making now is easily some of the best music they’ve ever made.

They were always part and parcel of that weird old America we’re always hearing about. During their early years they were the most rapidly evolving organism in the post-punk universe. From their eponymous 1981 hardcore debut (clamorous speed topped by frontman/vocalist/guitarist Curt Kirkwood’s hilariously unintelligible vocals) to 1984’s Meat Puppets II (twisted psychedelic country that won them the abiding love of one Kurt Cobain) to 1985’s Up on the Sun (giddy-making dada guitar pastorals), the Meat Puppets were on a quest to make it new.

What followed was some consolidation, then a swerve towards a harder ZZ Top-influenced sound on which Curt went heavy metal guitar god in a big way. They had a hit and then they had trouble (brother Cris Kirkwood disappeared in a haze of narcotic abuse that ended not in death, as everybody expected, but with him being shot in the stomach and serving jail time—which in effect saved his life).

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Much-loved London “sprechgesangers” Art Brut are delighted to announce a new box set titled Sorry, That It Doesn’t Sound Like It’s Planned! Battling Satan, 2009–2020 that is due for release on April 25th via Edsel Records. The band will also play a special UK release show on April 25th at the Fighting Cocks, Kingston, with tickets on sale now.

Commenting on the release, front man Eddie Argos said: “I can’t wait for you all to hear these songs. Some of my absolute favourite Art Brut moments nestled in amongst our most recent three albums. Intimate home demos, unreleased songs, lots of alternate versions and B-sides and I’m especially glad ‘Richard Where is my Record Deal’ sung by Mike, Ian, and Jasper finally gets it day in the sun, as well as Mike’s synth heavy experiments for some of Art Brut vs Satan.

Lots of treasures we’ve hoarded for years that you now get to hear for the first time! What I’m saying is, this is a box of fantastic music, with a long essay about that fantastic music by me, and you’d be an idiot not to grab a copy immediately.”

The second and final box set in the two part Art Brut compilation series rounds off Edsel Records’ retrospective on South East London based art rockers Art Brut, with a carefully curated collection of recorded works spanning from 2009–2020. Featuring 5 CDs worth of material—from rare and unreleased home demos to full length studio albums with bonus takes—this package is a must-have for collectors and fans alike.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Verve Records announces a new and never-before-released live concert album from the First Lady Of Song, Ella Fitzgerald. The Moment of Truth: Ella At The Coliseum, full album release on all formats and the title track “The Moment of Truth” is out now. The recordings were mixed and mastered in stunning clarity from the original analog multitrack tapes, resulting in pristine high-fidelity audio typically unheard of for a live concert recording of that era.

The Moment Of Truth: Ella At The Coliseum was recorded at the Oakland Coliseum on June 30, 1967, and was recently unearthed in the private tape collection of Verve Records founder Norman Granz. The album spans nine tracks, most never heard before, and features Fitzgerald accompanied by members of The Duke Ellington Orchestra at its prime. The resulting recordings underscore Fitzgerald’s reputation as a renowned live performer (“utter perfection, personified” —The New York Times). There was never a moment when Ella didn’t deliver; every night was her Moment of Truth.

This live album marks a particularly interesting time in Fitzgerald’s career. In the summer of 1967, she was in the middle of an especially rewarding three-year tour run and recording collaboration with Duke Ellington, and was incorporating hit pop songs of the late-’60s into her concert repertoire—two of which are presented here for the first time on record; “Alfie” and “Music To Watch Girls By” are both standouts on The Moment of Truth: Ella At The Coliseum. Encouraged by members of The Duke Ellington Orchestra on stage with her, Fitzgerald is both playful and powerful—she cracks jokes with the audience before stunning them with her unrivaled voice.

Fitzgerald’s band includes the rarely heard but hard-swinging trio of Jimmy Jones, Bob Cranshaw, and Sam Woodyard, while the Ellington band captured here at its peak, featured Cat Anderson, Cootie Williams, Harry Carney, Paul Gonsalves, Jimmy Hamilton, Johnny Hodges and Russell Procope. The First Lady Of Song meets The Duke’s Men—and it’s something to behold.

No single album can encompass the range of The Animals’ ’64-’65 run, but ABKCO’s recent vinylization of the ’88 compact disc The Best of The Animals comes pretty close. Gathering all the early hits without neglecting the enduring appeal of their R&B core, it sports the same cover photo as MGM’s 11-track ’66 LP while slightly modifying and significantly expanding the contents. 

The pop success of great rock bands, and the one formed in Newcastle upon Tyne when Eric Burdon joined the Alan Price Rhythm and Blues Combo definitely qualifies, often gets belittled as concession, cash-in, or more likely some combination of the two. The reality is that music and commerce, particularly in the middle of last century, weave together like amorous but argumentative vines. The four largest hits of The Animals’ first two years are all represented on this fresh reissue, which places onto vinyl the contents of a CD designed to usurp an LP not all that hard to locate in used bins at the time, at least in my neighborhood; this sequencing of The Best of The Animals (there have been others) includes the A-sides from the first nine 45s.

“House of the Rising Sun,” easily The Animals’ biggest commercial success, also endures and by a wide margin as their most famous recording. Indeed, sans exaggeration it can be described as one of the defining singles of the 1960s. A few may balk, but the sheer seriousness, ambition and intensity was unusual for ’64.

Gleaning a traditional tune found on Bob Dylan and Just Dave Van Ronk and in the process setting folk-rock into motion with an intercontinental smash (#1 in four countries, #2 in Australia, Top Ten in two more), it was a massive chart breakthrough achieved without compromising The Animals’ angelic comingling of blues, R&B, and R&R (it’s gobsmacking to note, but their producer Mickie Most was initially disinclined to record the song).

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